Rainy Run In Annapolis

Nick and I spent the weekend in Annapolis because I ran the Annapolis 10-Mile Run on Sunday. I can’t believe it’s taken us so long to check out Annapolis-it’s less than an hour away! It has a great historic downtown on the water full of shops and restaurants.

We ate downtown on Saturday night and then walked around. I saw at least 4 homemade ice cream shops and it was pure torture to skip the ice cream, so it’s a must to go back. (ice cream + Crohn’s + running = don’t mix).

How cute is this lab? He was sitting in front of a store and I loved that his paws were crossed! His name was H.H.-the store’s initials.

The Naval Academy is in Annapolis, so there were tons of sailors walking around. They all looked like babies! I guess I’m a lot closer to 30 than 18, but I couldn’t get over how young these kids were. It’s crazy when you realize what they sign up for at 18….it’s a lot different than the frat parties and football games I was attending at 18. P.S. Are they sailors? midshipmen? cadets? I’m not sure of the proper term, so correct me if I’m wrong!

It was pouring rain on Sunday when we woke up, so I wasn’t thrilled about getting out of bed to run. But after spending the past 6 weeks doing long runs in the Saturday morning heat, I was not about to be lazy and skip the race.

It cleared up when Nick was dropping me off, but as soon as I ran across the start line, the skies dumped. I felt like I was back hiking in the rainforest of Costa Rica! Everyone was laughing and splashing through puddles, so the rain was kind of fun! It did clear up around mile 2, but my clothes were still dripping wet when I finished. I never run in hats, but I borrowed Nick’s and it was a life saver because the rain wasn’t on my face.

When I signed up for the race, I didn’t pay attention to the details after this line: The race has been listed as one of the top ten 10-mile races in the country by Runners World Magazine. It is a beautiful run through historic Annapolis and over the Severn River.

Two of my friends were looking at running the race with me until they saw this: Notice: This is not a race you are likely to set a ‘PR.’ It is a tough race with a hilly course run in the heat and humidity of a Chesapeake August. Please be sure you are properly trained.

I had already paid my entry fee, so I decided to train for it and hope for the best. I never run on hills, so I was a little nervous about being able to run the entire race. I could train on the treadmill incline, but I despise the treadmill. I didn’t have a rough time with most of the hills because a lot of the hills were “rolling” and the downhill portion was fantastic. This beast did look a little scary on the way up, but I just decided to go up as fast as I could to get it over with and it wasn’t that bad!

I didn’t wear my Garmin for this race since it was a monsoon outside, so I had no idea what my pace was or anything. I’m so used to looking at my watch during a run that it was strange at first, but it almost made the miles go by faster because I wasn’t focused on the distance. Maybe a new race strategy?

I also started at the very back of the pack. Nick is always telling me to try this and he’s apparently a genius! It’s a little strange to start with no one behind you, but not having to dodge runners for the first mile was fantastic. Plus, as you move up and pass people, it makes you feel really fast. 🙂 Another new race strategy!

I saw Nick as I was running up the last hill towards the finish line, which always gives me an extra boost to finish.

They posted the results online and my finishing time was 1:42:53 with a 10:17 pace. I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in 1:37:12, so my time was slower (hills), but I felt stronger in this race than any other one I’ve done…never felt tired or ready to be done. I did stop for a bathroom break at mile 7 (I think I overhydrated!), so my running time is actually a minute or so less. We’ll go with 1:40!

It’s a hard course, but this was a great race and I’ll definitely do it again next year! And Annapolis, we will be back!

I hated running when I first started, but love it now. I did the couch to 5k and slowly worked my way up. But maybe if you ran like Phoebe, everyone would just stare and move out of your way and you would win!! I’ll try that next time. ha

My feet were okay until I accidentally stepped in a huge puddle. But the socks I wore were great….I bought some New Balance running socks recently and they were worth the money because my feet never really felt wet. I did however step in mud at the finish line so my brand new shoes (bought 2 weeks ago) looked terrible. I threw them in the washing machine, so hopefully that doesn’t mess them up.